Locomotive-arch



N. E. GEE. LocoMoT'lvE ARCH.

APPLICATON FILED FEB. 1, 1917.

m a M m P W e. W

UNITED sTAi-'rasgPnTE-N`T OFFICE.

NOBHAN E. GLJ, OF AL'I'OONA., I'EN'NSY'IBVLNI,Aj,v AS BIGNOR TO IEROAN AROE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LOCOMOTIVE-ABCH.

To all 'z ali/0m. 'it may conce'm:

Be it known that I, NonMAN E. GEE, a

citizen of the United States, residing ai;

Altoona, in the county of Blair and S tate of Pennsylvania 'have invented certain new and useful fmprovements -in Locomotive- Arches, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention' relates'to the subject of locomotives and more. particularly to the arch which is positioned in the' locomotive furnace for the purpose of maintaining a .high uniform heat Within the locomotive firebox.

The primar object of this invention is to provide a ocomotive arch with a perfectly invertible brick, such that any brick in the main arch can readily be placed in an other position in the arch as well as belng adapted to being inverted, thus bringing a new side in direct contact w1th the' flames as they rise from the fuel bed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arch with an invertible brick which possesses means of splitting up the flames as they rise from the lfuel bed, while, at the same time having means to retard the progress of the flames toward the flue sheet, thus tending in a practical way tov increase combustion as well 'as to aid in maintaining a high degree of firebox temperature.

A still further object of this invention `lis to provide a locomotive arch with a side brick construction, such that the wedg'ing action of the inclined side brick will not push the arch pipes out of alinementthereb causing the arch to fall into the fuel be thus destroying the efliciency ofthe whole arch.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an arch pipe spacing such as to accommodate' the arch which makes the particular arrangement of invertible brick possible.

With these and many other objects in view which will be more .readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partsas will be hereinafter fully pointed Speciflcation ot Lette1-s Patent. Patent-,ed Feb. 22', 1921. 'application fiie'a February 1, 1917. serial no. 148,888.

various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, but a preferred and practical embodlment of the same is shown in the accompanying drawings, in' which:-

Figure shows a longitudinal section of a locomotive furnace having the proposed inventlon installed therein. o

Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the arch shown in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 4'-'-4 of Fig. 2, illustrating' clearly the method of applying the arch.

Flg. 4 is a'partial end view of the arch shown in Fig. 1.

. Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the arch brick used in the construction of the locomotive arch.

Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the arch brick shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

F ig. 7 shows a sectional view of a locomotive furnace having a narrow firebox with the present invention applied thereto.

It will be noticed that it is also necessary in this construction to set one arch tube above the others in order to apply the invention. This is an essential point of the present linvention.

Similar reference numerals refer to simi- I-l'ar figures throughout the several figures of the drawings. w

In the design of this invention no change is contemplated in the usual locomotivev firebox or locomotive furnace, nor do I contemplate changing the usual number of arch pipes positloned in the locomotive furnace having a wide firebox, and the only change in arch pipes may be said to be one of position only, and to this end I construct an arch which isdesignated in its entirety by the numeral 10, which is positioned in the locomotive firebox or furnace 11, and supported upon a plurality of arch pipes 12 and 13. In building this locomotive arch I position the arch pipes inl the locomotive furnace as usual with the exception of the two outside pipes 13 which are elevated above those pipes 12 that are located in the center, fof the locomotive furnace. This `manner bf-locating the arch pipes makes the` stock and, likewise, the first cost of the arch. In the construction of the brick there is provided a curved surface 15, which is adapted 'to fit upon the outer surface 162 of the arch pipe. Tangent to each curve sur face 15 I provide a reverse curve 17, both top and bottom, reverse curves umting in a common apex 18 at the end of the brick. w

The brick 14-is further providedwlth a recess 19,-and a Wall 20 surroundmgI the recess as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Within' the recess 19 there is provided a plurality of upstanding triangular flar'ne dividing and retarding elements 21, which are so positioned in the brick that When the same is placed on the arch, the flames from.

the fuel strike the apex 22 and are thus split, and the diverging sheets of fiame are thus intermingled and thoroughly broken up, afn fording an efficient means of increasmg the efliciency of the arch as well as augmenting perfect combustion in the locomotive furnace. When the fiames pass over the arch an impinging surface 23 is provided which eifectively retards the progress of the fiames in their rapid movement toward the flue sheet 24,,as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing's.

Referring to Fig. 5 of the drawings, 1t will be seen that the flame retarding element 21 becomes a fiame dividing element when the brick is inverted, thereby provlding m one device two essential elements necessary for the best efliciency of the locomotive brick arch.

Without further description and elaboration it is thought that the various features of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it belongs and I therefore, desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent 1. lfn a locomotive fire box, the combination of a plurality of arch tubes and a pxlurality of arch bricks of a length greater t an the distance from center line to center line of the tubes, said bricks having at each end on opposite faces, substantially complementary support engaging surfaces, disposed so that the bricks may be supported from said surfaces on a tube at one end and on the complementarysurface of an adjacent brick at the other end, or on tubes at both ends, or on adjacent bricks at both ends.

2. In a locomotive fire box, the combination of a plurality of arch tubes and three rows of bricks of a length greater than the distance from center line to center line of the tubes, each brick at each end on opposite faces being provided with substantially complementary support engaging surfaces,

the bricks of the middle row being supported on tubes, and the bricks of the outer rows having one end supported on the complementary surfaces of the middle row bricks and the other end supported on a tube.

3. An arch construction for locomotive fire boxesccompgisiig combination, arch tubes arran ed in different horizontal planes, a p urality of invertible bricks adapted to be carried by said tubes to form an arch, each brick'having aledge providing a recessed portion, and triangular upstanding portions in said recess. i

4 In a locomotive fire box, the combinatlon of a plurality of arch tubes and three rows of bricks of a length greater than the distance from center line to center-line'of the tubes, each brick at each end on op osite faces being provided with substantiallly complementary support engaging surfaces, the bricks of the middle row being supported on tubes, and the bricks of the outer rows having one end supported on the complementary surfaces of the middle row bricks and the other'end supported on a tube, the plane of the tubes Supporting the middle row being below the plane of the other tubes whereby all of the said bricks are 'supported m substantial parallelism.

5. Invertible arch bricks for a locomotive fire box arch construction having at opposite ends on both faces, substantially complementary support engaging surfaces, said bricks having a greater length than the distance between respective supports, whereby the bricks may be independently supported at both ends from their supports or, from the complementary surfaces of adjacent bricks or from a support at one end and a complementary surface of an adjacent'brick at the other end, the surfaces being interchangeable in their functions upon inversion of the brick.

6. An arch construction for locomotive fire boxes comprising in combination' a plurality of spaced supportin members and a plurality of bricks there or, of a length 'greater than the distance from center line to center line of the supporting members, each brick at each end on opposite faces be' ing provided with complementary surfaces whereby it can'be supported upon' supporting members or upon the complementary surfaces of another brick or upon a complementary surface of another brick and upon -a sup orting member.

n arch construction for locomotive furnaces including in'combination with arch tubes, a plurality of invertible arch bricks, each brick having recessed opposite faces, a plurality of spaced triangular flame defiecting projections formed in each recess, and the opposite lateral edge portions of each brick being formed for engagement with the arch tubes or with each other.

8. In an arch construction for locomotive fire boxes the combination of a plurality of spaced supporting members and a plurality of invertible bricks therefor of a length greater than the distance from center line to center line of the supporting members,

each of said bricks at each end thereof being provided on one face With a support engaging surface and on the other face with a slmlarly though reversely formed surface, said support engaging surfaces on each brick being adapted to engage either supporting members or the reversely formed surfaces of another brick, the support engaging surfaces being adapted to act as supporting surfaces and the supporting surfaces as support engaging surfaces when the brcks are inverted.

9. In an arch construction for locomotive fire boxes the combination of a plurality of spaced supporting members and a plurality of brieks therefor of a length greater than the distance from center line to center line of the supporting members, each of said bricks at each end thereof being provided on one face with a support engaging surface and on the other face With a supporting surface, said support engaging surfaces on each brick being adapted to engage either supporting members or the supporting surfaces of another brick.

10. An arch brick for locomotive fire box arches provided on its under face With a plurality of spaced triangular projections arranged With the apexes toward the fiow lines of the fiame Whereby the flame is defiected and on its upper face with a plurality of similarly spaced triangular projectons arranged With the apexes away from the fiow lines of the fiame Whereby the flame is retarded.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NORMAN E. GEE.

Witnesses ALEX WEIR EDGAR S. JoHNs'roN. 

